British police have arrested five people for allegedly keeping 24 men in slavery in what one officer calls shockingly filthy and cramped conditions.

Police raided a site north of London Sunday, arresting four men and one woman.

They also freed 24 men of English and eastern European backgrounds and took them to a hospital. Some of the men had been held for as long as 15 years.

Police say the suspects forced them to work and live in horse trailers and dog kennels, giving them no money and very little food. They threatened to beat the captives if they tried to get away.

Police believe the suspects lured the victims from soup kitchens and government welfare offices.